RELATED ARTICLES

Share this article

According to government sources, a survey to gauge the extent of damage and the corresponding aid and compensation would begin shortly.

Damage to crops as well as loss of livestock has crippled Banaskantha.

A heavy downpour caused by depression over north Gujarat and Kutch regions had thrown life out of gear as torrential rains caused flood-like situations in several areas such as Banaskantha, Patan and Mehsana districts of north Gujarat.

The government as well as the local administration claimed that relief and rescue operations were in full swing as also efforts to evacuate people to safer locations.

“A team of Army from Dhranghdhra base in Gujarat’s Surendranagar district and four teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) from Pune were sent to Banaskantha district, which is worst affected,” state disaster control room officer TB Patel had said.

NDRF personnel evacuate stranded people in Banaskantha district of Gujarat on Friday

Besides this, two Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters were pressed into service for rescue operations in the district, he said.

A large number of cattle have also been killed in the floods and several shelters had been devastated.

Many parts of Banaskantha district have been cut off from the mainland and power supply has been disrupted in several areas. In the 24 hours, Vadgam in Banaskantha district had received 495 mm of rains, followed by Deesa (410 mm), Palanpur (317 mm), Amirgadh (314 mm) and Dhanera (302 mm).

Meanwhile, the situation in flood-affected Jalore and Sirohi districts of Rajasthan was limping back to normalcy, even as Nagaur got the maximum rainfall of 13 cms in the state on Friday, officials said.

There was no fresh casualty due to rain related incidents anywhere in Jalore and Sirohi districts, officials said, adding Nagaur recorded the maximum rainfall of 13 cm till 8:30 am on Friday.

The only road connecting Mount Abu and Abu- Road was still obstructed following minor landslide in last three days, the senior Sirohi district official said.

Heavy downpours set to batter Bengal

By Soudhriti Bhabani

A large part of districts in south Bengal will receive heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 48 hours following a deep depression formed over the Bay of Bengal, regional Met office said on Friday.

“The deep depression will continue for the next 48 hours resulting in heavy rain in isolated places in Kolkata and its surroundings. It will cover a large portion of the Gangetic West Bengal in districts like Nadia, Murshidabad, Kolkata and its twin Howrah district, East Midnapore and West Midnapore as well, besides neighbouring Odisha and Jharkhand,” the weather official said.

He said the rainfall would take place owing to depression that has formed over Bay of Bengal, West Bengal and the adjoining areas of Bangladesh coast. It intensified into a deep depression.

Heavy downpours have caused a flood-like situation in West Bengal (above) and neighbouring states like Odisha and Jharkhand

Heavy to very heavy rain may occur at isolated places of Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum, Burdwan, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas districts too.

“Heavy to extremely heavy rains are expected to lash Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha,” he added.

The officials said that the cyclonic storm Komen which already made a landfall at Bangladesh coast has now weakened considerably and is currently a deep depression only.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also held a high-level meeting on Friday afternoon to take stock of the flood-like situation in south Bengal.

Besides West Bengal and Odisha, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and parts of Assam are also expected to witness substantial downpour.

NDRF personnel evacuate stranded people in Banaskantha district of Gujarat on Friday

Flood threat is looming on many West Bengal districts like Birbhum and Murshidabad.

Several areas of Luvpur and Suri Sadar block in Birbhum, and Kandi and Jangipur subdivisions of Murshidabad are witnessing a flood-like situation.

“Three blocks namely Kandi, Nabagram and Kargram are facing flood-like situation in Murshidabad. The water level is flowing at extreme danger level now. We have opened relief camps across all the vulnerable points.

The district administration has sounded alert as well,” said Murshidabad district magistrate Rajiv Kumar.

Heavy to extremely heavy rains are expected to lash Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha (pictured)